So I have had a week to digest the Bruins game 7 loss to the Canadiens and elimination from the playoffs. While I think I'm officially over the loss, it still stinks losing to your arch rival in a game 7 on your home ice. Granted the Rangers have been playing great hockey over their last five games, it hurts even more seeing how the Canadiens have played so far in the Eastern Conference Finals.
I think it's safe to say two key ways the Bruins were exposed as a team in their series against the Canadiens was their overall team speed and inability to score goals when down by the net. While it seems over the past few years that the Bruins flat out don't match-up well against the Canadiens, the B's will now have to maybe build their team in a new way since given the new playoff format they will most likely have to face Montreal most years in the playoffs. I am not saying the Bruins need to have a complete overhaul. They were the best team in the NHL during the regular season for a reason, but they need to maybe become more dynamic on offense.
Tyler Seguin was supposed to be the guy who had the combination of speed and ability to finish goals, but unfortunately that did not work out. While Seguin definitely showed signs of what he was capable of during his time in Boston, he was too inconsistent. Most Bruins fans, including myself, had become sick and tired of hearing Jack Edwards say after a Seguin shot "High and off the glass." Also, you could tell by the end of last year that the Bruins organization had become sick of his off the ice antics. I don't blame the Bruins for trading Seguin and I think it's safe to say both the Stars and B's have benefited from the trade, but not having Seguin left that speed/dynamic scorer role vacant in the 2013-14 Bruins lineup. Seguin was supposed to be the Bruins version of Patrick Kane, and now the B's will have to again begin their search for that style of player.
The player I would like to see the Bruins now go after in free agency is left winger Jussi Jokinen of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jokinen in many ways was the one bright spot for the Penguins in this year's playoffs, and while I am sure Pittsburgh will do their best job to try to re-sign him, I think Jussi is the perfect guy to fill the Bruins speed/scorer void. If the Bruins decide to not keep Jarome Iginla, Jokinen could immediately come in and enhance either their first or second line. While I think Iginla is still capable of playing in the NHL for another year or two, Jokinen, who is five years younger than Iginla, could be a long term asset for the Bruins if they could ink him to a multi-year deal. Another reason I'd love to see Jokinen become a Bruin is that with the exception of maybe Nino Niederreiter of the Minnesota Wild, he easily has the best name in the NHL, and it would also give Tuukka Rask a fellow Finnish countryman to hang out with on the team.
As I said, the Bruins are still a very good team. The Bruins will welcome back their second best defenseman in Dennis Seidenberg next season, and there is enough balance of youth and veteran experience on the team that there is no reason why they shouldn't be a force in the NHL next season and for the years to come. I just hope this loss to Montreal was a wake up call to General Manager Peter Chiarelli that maybe he needs to change the makeup of the team a bit so they can compete with a team like the Canadiens over a long series.
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